Perfect Yogurt

I like to experiment with cooking and other things. I come by it honestly. Mom did too. I remember when she was in her Yogurt phase. I had never heard of the stuff when she started messing with it. I’ll bet this is the recipe that got her started. Mom was somewhat of a “natural foods” person and any home remedies for maladies caught her eye.

When I lived on a ranch in 1979-1980, we had fresh milk daily from cows that my husband or other ranch hands milked every morning. I bought an electric yogurt maker and experimented with it for about a year. I don’t remember seeing much yogurt in the grocery stores at the time. I’m thinking that I probably used yogurt from the grocery store for starter, though, so maybe I’m wrong about it. Anyway, I don’t think my yogurt was anywhere near as good as the Greek Gods Honey Yogurt that I’m fond of now.

This recipe is from the Hope Needham column from the Drover’s telegram.

Perfect Yogurt

Dear Hope:
I’ve never seen in you column a recipe for yogurt cheese. It is a live food and valuable for anyone who suffers from digestive disorder. The activating ingredient is the lactobacilus which is capable of destroying any and all malignant bacteria with which it comes in contact.

Yogurt has been a staple food in parts of India for centuries and is eaten by peasants in Greece, Yugoslavia, Turkey and Pakistan. The “starter” comes from some of these places but is now kept alive in some of our American cities. I’ve made several attempts to convert sweet milk into yogurt, buying the lactobacillus in some health store whenever I cahanced to be in a large city, but I had no luck, and the small stores in the region where I live do not handle it,.

After four unsuccessful attempts I finally succeeded and can now tell your readers exactly how to proceed and no one can fail who follows directions closely. Skim milk or pasteurized milk did not make the cheese for me, but when I use fresh whole cow’s milk from the farm, it is perfect.

I put 2 quarts of milk on to boil and while it is heating, add 1 heaping cupful of dry skim milk, stirring in well. When the milk is about to oil over the top I turn the head down to simmer and begin stirring with a wooden spoon (no other kind will do). Stir constantly for 15 minutes, then let stand until lukewarm–if you have a thermometer (I don’t) to 105 degrees.

Then you take out 1/2 cupful, and here is the important step, mix in 3/4 cup of the “starter” which may be purchased yogurt or from a batch you have made yourself. Now put this mixture in with warm milk, which by now will measure less than 1/2 gallon. When well mixed, put in an earthenware crock and set in a warm place, free from draft, and wrap it well. I use a clean heavy old bedspread.

When you get up next morning your cheese will be finished. It will be the consistency of a nice custard and taste like sour cream with just a slight tang of the “starter”. I store it in seven half-pint jars, through none of them are quite full, so I can have one to eat each day until time to make it again. there are 120 calories in a full cup of yogurt.

This food has done wonderful things for my health. I work all day without becoming tired. I store my yogurt in the refrigerator.

Don’t forget to save out 1/4 cupful so you can make it again. I would never be without it. –Mrs. Chenoweth, Kansas.